O-utho



(No Model.)

J. T. AHRENS. FINGER REST FOR. PBNHOLDERS.

Patented July 21, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN T. AHRENS, OF \VILMINGTON, DELAWVARE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOSEPH N. HARMAN AND ROBERT C. HARMAN, OF SAME PLACE.

FINGER-REST FOR PENHOLDERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 564,178, dated July 21, 1896. Application filed September 3, 1895. Renewed June 23,1896. Serial No. 596,656. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN T. AHRENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vilmington, in the county of Newcastle and State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Finger-Rests for Penholders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object in view is to provide penholders, pencils, and the like with projecting fingerrests for the fingers and thumb, whereby the muscular efiort required to hold them in proper position when in use is diminished, the liability of turning in the fingers is obviated, and an easy graceful position of the hand is permitted without sacrificing the firmness of hold on the article.

The invention consists in the device hereinafter described and claimed, and being also illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of a penholder with my improved finger-rest attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional yiew of the holder on the line 5 5, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 3 is a perspective, and Fig. 4-. an end view of a slightly different form of the device, the penholder being shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 to better illustrate the application of the device.

The same letters refer to like parts in the several views.

A indicates an ordinary penholder made of wood, metal, gutta-percha, or other material.

Upon this holder the device constituting the present invention is adapted to be slipped from the smaller upper end to the end where the pen is attached. The device consists of a skeleton sleeve, of rubber or other analogous material, consisting of a ring Z) at the upper end, a perforated flange d at the lower end, and thin flat radial flanges c 0 0 Instead of making this sleeve in skeleton form, I might, of course, make it in the form of a long tube having the radial flanges projecting from its periphery throughout their length, and provided with the flange d at its lower end. I prefer the skeleton form, however, as

being most sightly in appearance and convenient in use. The flange d constitutes a rim at the lower end of the tube. It may be circular in outline, if desired, but I prefer to cut it in triangular form, as shown in Fig. 2,

i so that when the penholder is laid upon a desk or table the angular faces of the flange will prevent it rolling on the same. Instead of having three flat faces, as shown in Fig. 2, the flange may be provided with any number of such faces. At their outer ends the ribs 0 c c are equal in height to the Width of the flange (Z, and they taper rearwardly to the ring I), where they practically vanish. A further function of the flange d is to prevent the fingers from being inked, as well as to provide a stop to prevent the penholder being stuck too far into the ink.

The construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4 differs from that represented in Figs. 1 and 2, in that the latter is provided with three radial flanges c c 0 while the former has only two. I prefer the construction with only two of these flanges, as they appear suflicient for practical purposes and permit the holder to be held in a variety of ways. In Fig. 2 the flanges, when the sleeve is in position, divide the periphery of the holder equally into three surfaces or parts, one for the thumb and each of the first two fingers. In this construction it is of course immaterial against which of these surfaces the several fingers rest, as they are alike. In Fig. 4, however, the two flanges divide the periphery in fact into two surfaces only, one, i, constituting the thumbrest, and the opposite space between the flanges c 0 forming the other, into or against which the first and second fingers fit, so that they bear on the opposite sides of the flanges; but whether the construction shown in Fig. 2 or that shown in Fig. 4 be used, the fingers will in practice rest against the flanges rather than against the body of the holder between the flanges.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A detachable finger-rest for penholders, pencils, and the like, the same consisting of a rubber sleeve having a flange at its lower end, and flat longitudinal fins or ribs tapering a skeleton rubber sleeve having the flange d at its lower end, said flange having angular faces, a ring Z) at its upper end, and thin flat longitudinal ribs or fins projecting radially of the sleeve and extending longitudinally from the flange d to the ring I), said fins or ribs tapering toward the upper end; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affi X my sign ature in presence of two Witnesses.

J GEN T. AHRENS.

lVitnesses r J. H. \VHITEMAN, ROBT. G. IlAMAN. 

